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A952Assembly2017-2018 Session

Require Conference Committees for Bills

Official title

“Calls for legislative conference committees; requires appropriate legislative committee to act on a bill if requested by the sponsor of the bill”

Sponsor J. Gary PretlowAD-89Affects Legal
Status
In Assembly Committee
Judiciary
Impact
4/10
Low
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Judiciary

What's happening

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment requiring public conference committees to resolve differences between Senate and Assembly versions of bills.

Why it matters

  1. Increases transparency. by requiring all conference committee deliberations between the Senate and Assembly to occur in a public forum, allowing citizens and stakeholders to observe how legislative compromises are made.

  2. Limits scope of negotiation. by mandating that conference committees only discuss issues that actually differ between the two chamber versions, reducing the chance for unrelated provisions or “last-minute surprises” to be added during reconciliation.

  3. Sets clear rules for appropriations. by capping spending items in the final compromise bill at the higher of the amounts from the original bills, which could help control unexpected increases in state expenditures during the negotiation process.

  4. Promotes accountability and efficiency. by requiring both houses to accept or reject the entire conference committee report without amendments, and if rejected, triggering the appointment of a new committee—potentially streamlining the process while making it harder to stall or quietly reshape deals after committee agreement.

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Who cares

  • Senate and Assembly presiding officers

    The proposed constitutional amendment would require them to appoint four members from each house to a conference committee when the houses engross different versions of a bill.

  • Senators and Assembly members

    Each house would have to accept or reject conference committee reports in full, without amendments, and rejection by both houses would trigger a new conference committee.

  • Lobbyists, reporters and legislative transparency advocates

    Conference committees would have to deliberate publicly and limit their discussions to differences between the two houses’ bills.

  • State agencies and advocates seeking appropriations

    Appropriation items in a conference committee’s new or amended bill could not exceed the higher corresponding amounts in the two houses’ separately engrossed bills.

Headline styles

Require Conference Committees for Bills

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
J. Gary Pretlow

Assembly Member · Assembly District 89

Chair, Ways and Means

No co-sponsors yet.

History

  1. Opinion referred to judiciary
  2. To attorney-general for opinion
  3. Referred to governmental operations
  4. Opinion referred to judiciary
  5. To attorney-general for opinion
  6. Referred to governmental operations

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

952

2017-2018 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

January 10, 2017

Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment to section 12 of article 3 of the constitution, in relation to conference committees

Section 1. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 12 of article 3 of the constitution be amended by adding a new undesignated paragraph to read as follows:

Upon the engrossment of a bill in a different form by both houses, a conference committee shall be formed by appointment of four members from each house by the presiding officers thereof to serve on a conference committee. The committee shall endeavor to reach a compromise between the two draft bills, and may only deliberate on those issues that differ in the drafts engrossed by the two houses. The committee's deliberations shall take place in public forum, and it shall report the result of its deliberations in the form of a bill. A new draft bill resulting from the committee's deliberations may receive a new bill number. Any items of appropriation in a new or amended bill may not exceed the higher of such items from either of the separately engrossed bills. Reports of a conference committee cannot be changed or amended by either house, but must be accepted or rejected in whole, in the form in which made. Rejection of a conference committee report by both houses shall result in the creation of a new conference committee composed in the manner set forth above, which may make any alterations necessary to reach agreement between the two engrossed bills, and report its deliberations to both houses for the question upon its final passage.

§ 2. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That the foregoing amendments be referred to the first regular legislative session convening after the next succeeding general election of members of the assembly, and, in conformity with section 1 of article 19 of the constitution, be published for 3 months previous to the time of such election.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD89054-01-7

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.